Advertising Club Visits Google NYC Offices

Advertising Women of New York Conference Offers Networking Opportunities

“A fed employee is a happy employee, and a happy employee is a productive employee,” says Professor Kathleen Boyle, the advisor for Marist College’s advertising club. This motto would attract many employees, and excite many students as they plan their careers. In this case, Professor Boyle uses it to explain the environment at Google Offices - the highlight of a recent field trip taken by Boyle and eight other students from the advertising club.

Every year, the Advertising Women of New York (AWNY) holds an Advertising Career Conference in the city. This is a fairly large national conference, that attracts advertising students from all over the country.

Marist always helps pay for a small group of advertising students to attend the two-day event, where they begin to plan for a career in the field. This past November, students attended the conference and, through it, had the opportunity to spend an afternoon at Google Offices.

Rewind 24-hours before this big tour, and the 59th annual AWNY conference commenced with a reception at the Crowne Plaza Times Square Hotel. After registration, students had the opportunity to network with people from the industry. That first night they attended a career fair, where they could “mix and mingle” with these leaders.

A keynote speaker then presented about her experiences in the industry and gave tips to the audience of young professionals. This year, the speaker was Phyllis Ehrlich of Time Warner Cable. She provided valuable insight as a representative from such a successful media company and specifically advised the crowd on personal branding

“It broadens their view of what is required in the industry beyond just what they are hearing in class,” says Professor Boyle, of exposure to industry professionals such as Ehrlich.

The second day of the conference was packed with activities to help cultivate the student’s skills for success. In the morning, the conference offered a number of different workshops that students signed up for based on their own interests. The topics of these workshops ranged from management to copywriting to special events and sports. Students chose any three seminars “to help really understand the different areas and what skills they will need to be successful,” Boyle explains.

After lunch, students participated in a series of clinics for resume review, portfolio review, and education. “They get people looking at their actual work or their resume,” Professor Boyle says about these clinics. “Just talking to professionals is gaining experience.” she adds, “hearing from people currently in the industry about what is important and what they should be focusing on.”

Then came the fun part: the once in a lifetime inside look at one of the biggest companies in the world. When the conference randomly allocated groups to different agencies, the Marist students found themselves on a tour of Google Offices in Manhattan. In the past, the touring portion of the conference has randomly sent Marist to other smaller companies, but never to anywhere quite so substantial. Of course, some school has to get lucky with these random assignments, and this year that school was Marist.

During the visit, students learned about Google’s unique approach to success. By first ensuring the happiness of their employees, the corporation hopes to ensure commitment to the company and commitment to their own work. As optimistic as that all sounds, no one is really in the position to argue with the success of a company like Google.

On their private tour of the building, students experienced much more than typical workspaces, but also play spaces, and spaces to relax. The tour took them through nap rooms, where employees go to unwind; playrooms with video games; and lego rooms, where they can let their creative juices flow.

Google uses these facilities to encourage creativity, innovative thinking, and the idea of resting up before a hard day at work. Essentially, at Google Offices, employees work hard and play hard.

They also eat hard at Google, using food as another key to the happiness of their employees. Their bylaws state that every employee must be within 150 feet of food at all times. With complimentary food from five different restaurants, employees never go hungry, and must and as a result appear to remain pretty happy.

Along the way, the group got the chance to speak with recent graduates, as well as senior level staff, about their different experiences with the company. These interactions “provide students with a good understanding about what it’s like to work in the industry and what skills were needed,” explains Professor Boyle.

Throughout the trip, students gained significant understanding of the professional advertising world. However, even Professor Boyle admits that touring Google was her favorite part. “It was the most amazing place,” she gushes, “I wish when I was working in the industry when Google was around.”